


Pepper gives Tony a reality check

by Bl4ckHunter



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Not for fans of Tony Stark, Post Spider-Man Homecoming, Reality check
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 04:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/pseuds/Bl4ckHunter
Summary: One-shot story. Pepper has enough of Tony's shenanigans after Spider-Man Homecoming and gives him a huge reality check. Not for fans of Tony Stark.





	Pepper gives Tony a reality check

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen/gifts), [Phillipe363](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phillipe363/gifts), [Aragorn_II_Elessar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aragorn_II_Elessar/gifts).



> Author's Note and Disclaimer:
> 
> Something I had in my mind for a while. Takes place after Tony purposes to Pepper in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
> 
> I do not own anything in Marvel Cinematic Universe.

After the forced purposing, Tony entered Stark Tower, only to see Pepper carrying a suitcase.

"Pepper, where are you going?"

"I need a break, Tony." Pepper sighed.

Tony sighed too. "Look, I know the purposing was sudden and I didn't think that Parker kid would do a mature thing in the…"

"It's funny that a sixteen-year old kid is more mature than you could ever be." Pepper snorted. "I think the reason how hard you are on him is because he is everything you could be but your ego won't allow you to do that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tony asked, offended and confused.

"Look, Tony, I love you and I always will but I can't do this anymore. These… shenanigans and radical decisions… I need a break. I mean… your decisions… don't you see how it's turning our lives around? You always let your emotions get the best of you?" Pepper listed. "Like seven years ago, when you publicly turned down and humiliated Justin Hammer, allowing him and Ivan Vanko to almost burn the city into the ground."

"Look, Hammer was an ass and I had to peg him down a bit and how was I supposed to know…"

"Look, I'm not blaming you for that, not completely but also, you were dying. And instead of letting me in, you instead shut me and Rhodey out and buried yourself in your shenanigans and work to cope with the fact that you might not make it until the next day, which led to pushing Rhodey away and stealing one of your suits in the process." Pepper reminded and Tony winced and sighed.

"Look, I know I should have let you in. It was a mistake but I was trying to protect you…"

"No. You were trying to protect yourself." Pepper corrected. "Because you think that you're all-knowing and that you don't need our help and that you can fix everything. It took Nick Fury, Coulson and Romanoff to help you find a cure for your condition in the end and help you make amends with all of us."

Tony winced, realizing Pepper was right. If it hadn't been for them, Tony would most likely have died because of palladium poisoning.

"Or how about what happened back in 1999 with Aldrich Killian? It's the same like with Hammer, you turned him down and humiliated him and thirteen years later, with a help of one of your flings, he creates an army of super-soldiers, walking ticking time bombs and he almost turned me into one too and he also burned your place to the ground because you publicly challenged Mandarin, thinking that the all-mighty Tony Stark could beat him." Pepper reminded. "If you hadn't been so self-centered, it all could have been prevented."

"Look, I was selfish and stupid and self-centered and I put you in danger, I get that. And believe me, I've been trying  _not_  to make that mistake again since then." Tony said.

"Is that so?" Pepper laughed humorlessly. "And what about Ultron? Have you ever seen a sci-fi movie? I thought a geek and scientist like you would have known that plugging in an unknown alien technology to create an A.I. is a bad idea. And with help of Bruce, of all people. And what happened? You blew Sokovia into smithereens. And you almost created a second Ultron, when you plugged Jarvis into the perfect body that Ultron had created. It was luck that Vision didn't kill us all."

Tony felt like he was being crushed as Pepper reminded him of one of his greatest failures.

"And then, there are the Accords. Steve and Clint happened to reach out. Have you no shame? Selling Clint's family out to Ross, when your conversation in Raft was recorded? And while I partly get, why you wanted to give into the Accords, have you even put into consideration the negatives, as Steve had pointed out? The Tony Stark I know, would never have let himself become a government lapdog…"

"If we hadn't done this, they would have…"

"Done it to us, yeah, I heard that before. And because Steve, Clint, Sam, Wanda and Scott didn't sign, you were gonna have them all locked up into a supermax underwater black site with no due trial, no judge, just because they didn't sign a piece of paper and also, they were denied an attorney. Plus, you sold Clint's wife and kids out to Ross on open channel! The only reason they were safe was because no one knew about them and you gave Ross the perfect leverage! The Accords were nothing but a leash and the Tony Stark I knew would never have let himself become nothing but a governmental lapdog! I remember that you yourself gave basically a "Fuck you" to the White House on live TV, when you revealed yourself as Iron Man!

And part of me could get, why you wanted to kill Barnes but first of all, he was brainwashed and it was not his fault. And what would you have done in Steve's position, if it was Rhodey, who had been brainwashed to kill Steve's parents and you had found out before he did? And how much did Steve actually know about what happened to your parents? For all you know, he found out, just when he was on his way to Siberia!"

Tony was frozen as he let Pepper's words sink in, realizing she was right. He was someone he didn't even know anymore.

"And you know what irritates me the most? That you basically blackmailed a young kid, giving him little to no explanation, to travel with you to Germany to fight Steve and his friends, when they gave you valid reasons  _not_  to fight each other." Pepper snapped. "And how you shifted the blame to him for letting Adrian Toomes steal all the tech you had confiscated, when you didn't tell him about FBI attempting to take him down and instead blaming him for what happened on the ferry. Yeah, Parker told me, he told me everything. Basically blackmailing and conscripting a teenager into your little feud with Steve, shame on you."

Tony looked down in shame, realizing Pepper was right.

"Look, I did what I thought was…"

"Tony, I swear to God, if the next word is going to be " _right_ ", I'm going to put on one of your suits and crush every bone in your body." Pepper said. "Until you start taking responsibility for your actions and realize how much you have shattered your relationships with Steve and everyone else… it's over between us. We'll be still engaged in public. But privately… until you come to your senses, we're done." She left into the elevator, leaving Tony alone to reflect on his own actions as the shame and guilt sank in.

**Author's Note:**

> I used to like Tony, when I was younger but over the time, he seriously ticked me off with some of his actions and I needed to let this out. Honestly, I'm surprised Pepper has been as patient with Tony's shenanigans as she was in MCU.
> 
> I don't care if you hate me but I had to do it.
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed this one-shot.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


End file.
